


The Mandalorian: Searching for the Unknown

by SeleneLaufeyson



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Baby Cooing, F/M, First Meetings, Humor, Light Jealousy, Sexual References, This Is The Way, cute moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22169641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneLaufeyson/pseuds/SeleneLaufeyson
Summary: Mando had spent the last couple weeks searching for the home planet of his foundling. Unfortunately, he’s not had any luck with his search. Nobody knew what species the foundling was, nor the type of habitat it might thrive in. He had heard about a potential tracker/traveler though that might be able to help, he just had to find her first.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Original Female Character, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 24





	1. The Tracker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando goes searching for the tracker/traveler he has heard of in hopes that she'll be able to find the young one's home planet.

Mando had spent the last couple weeks searching for the home planet of his foundling. Unfortunately, he’s not had any luck with his search. Nobody knew what species the foundling was, nor the type of habitat it might thrive in. He had heard about a potential tracker/traveler though that might be able to help, he just had to find her first. 

* * *

He had been told that she never went to the same place twice, with the exception of a rather skeezy planet full of bars and cheap places to spend the nights. Landing his ship, he sighed, put the little one in his pod, and ventured into the crowded city to find her. Bar after bar he checked, each bartender either not being helpful or being too preoccupied to answer his questions. Currently, he sat waiting for the droid to come over and hopefully help in his search. The little one’s pod was resting on the seat next to him, which a rather large Nautolan found frustrating.

“Move your shit Mando, some of us want to sit,” it tapped on the pod. Without a word, Mando stood to confront the Nautolan, but someone woman came between them, smirking.

“Why don’t you walk away while you can. Because, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, that’s a Mandalorian and you really don’t want to piss one of them off unless you have a death wish. So bye,” she shoved him back and turned to Mando. “What are you doing in this shithole anyway?” The Nautolan grunted but walked off. 

“I don’t really see how that’s any of your business.” He sat back down and waved the bartender over. Next to the pod sat another alien, of whom she grabbed, yanked out of the chair, and promptly sat in.

“I just helped you, I think a thank you or a drink is in order.” She waved the bartender over as well. 

“I could have handled it easily.” The bartender droid came over finally to take his order, but Mando got straight to the point. “I’m looking for someone specifically, a skilled tracker who’s been around the galaxy. I was told she comes here often.” The droid looked over to the woman who was now smirking.

“I believe who you are looking for is sitting right next to you. Would you like anything to drink?” Mando looked over to her and sighed. She winked and answered the droid.

“My usual please sir, it’s on him.” The droid nodded and went off to make her drink. “So, what exactly are you tracking?”

“A planet.”

“They have maps for that.”

“I don’t know which planet I’m looking for.” He opened the pod for her to see. The little one was asleep and bundled up in his little blanket. “His home planet, I need to find it but I’ve had no luck.” He shut it again before she could do anything.

“Considering I’ve never seen that species before, it’s not going to be easy.” The droid placed the drink in front of her and turned to Mando for payment. He sighed, tossed it a coin and stood. 

“What’s your price?” She downed the drink in one go and turned to face him.

“Get my chain-code cleared and when all of this is done, a ride to a planet of my choice. And a little less of this judgy attitude you have going on,” she vaguely gestured to all of him.

“Fine, I know where we can get your code cleared but it’s far from here. As for the attitude,” he tilted his head and examined her, “we’ll see.” He turned to go, the pod following behind. She smirked and followed, but stopped him once they were outside.

“I need to get my stuff, I have a room nearby where I was staying. Come on.” She went in a different direction and he followed. Without the crowd and smoke-filled air he was able to get a better look at her and how she was dressed. Her hair reached her lower back, and went from black to white about halfway down. She wore all black, somewhat fitted clothing with light-to-no armor, and had lifted shoes. There were two blasters on her hips, a sword over her back, and she wore fingerless gloves. 

They made it to where she was staying and she scanned a card to enter. He followed her in and the door shut behind. The room was fairly bland, had a single bed and a table. Some of her things were thrown haphazardly on the bed and she threw them into a large bag. She grabbed a backpack and her larger bag.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Is that all you have? What about your ship?”

“Ah well you see, I don’t have a ship, nor have I ever had one,” she smiled awkwardly, “I uh, just kinda steal one basically everywhere I go.” She shrugged. 

“That’s why you need your code cleared.”

“Well, that’s one reason why,” she smirked and he sighed, again. He walked back to the ship in silence, well, as silent as it could be with her talking to him indirectly. “I’m gunna be honest, I thought you were here for me to kill or something. Cause I know a lot of people I’ve stolen from who would love to have my head on a platter. There’s actually a really good chance we’ll run into some of these people, just a heads up. Oh, you never asked my name. Rude. It’s Selene, if you call me Tracker I’ll smack you.” He sighed as they reached his ship. He was already exhausted from her talking, this was going to be a long trip. She examined the ship as they entered, which concerned him slightly. 

“Don’t get any ideas about my ship.”

“Don’t worry, this isn’t the type of ship I would steal,” she sat and watched him organize some things. “I stole an X-Wing once.”

“Of course you did.” He shut the doors and moved her stuff to a corner. Then, he opened the pod and took the little one out, placing him on the ground. The child saw her and went over, cooing. 

“He’s adorable,” she picked him up and smiled. Something about this smile was much more genuine than her other ones though, and Mando couldn’t help but smile. Thankfully, his helmet hid all of his facial expressions. 

“Glad you like him, because you’re now in charge of him. He needs to eat, there’s some food over there,” he pointed to a crate and went up to the cockpit before she could reply.

“I, wait what?” She looked at the child, “Well, I guess I’m in charge of you. Want to help me be annoying, little guy?” She booped his nose and he giggled. 

* * *

Mando had been flying for a total of 17 minutes before Selene invited herself into the cockpit with the child and some food she was in the process of eating. She sat down and spoke.

“Before you complain, he already ate and you knew deep down I would end up in here,” she bit into a fruit and smirked. Mando sighed.

“I figured,” he glanced back at them. She was seated in the passenger seat with the child in her lap, a plate of food on one hand and a large fruit in the other. “Do you plan on eating all of that?”

“No,” she placed the plate near him, “It’s for you. Don’t worry, we’ll leave when you want to eat, since you can’t take that off in front of anyone,” she smiled. He glanced at the plate then back at her.

“Should I be surprised you know that?” 

“Maybe,” she shrugged, “depends on what you think of me in the first place. Have you ever taken it off in front of someone?”

“No, never. No one has removed it either.” He turned to face forward again. That was mostly true, the IG unit wasn’t living, so it technically didn’t count. 

“Yea I figured. ‘This is the way.’ What’s the rule? You can’t put it on again right? Or something like that,” she said somewhat, oddly. Trying to sound convincing that she forgot but he could tell she knew what she was saying. 

“Yes. How do you know all of this?”

“Mmm, do you really want to listen to me talk for that long?” He remained silent, which she took as a yes. “Alright, well I’ve met a lot of people during my adventures. You pick up things about other species and beliefs. But, I actually was saved one day by a Mandalorian. Some dopes whose ship I stole found me, but the Mando saved me and took me to a nearby bar. I started asking questions, wanted to know if it was true if they couldn’t take it off. He said yes, but that he had taken it off. Only for one person though, his husband. He told me that when they first met he knew that this guy was going to be trouble, but he couldn’t stay away. He debated for months about it, said he was worried he’d feel shame and thought he would never put it back on.”

“But he was wearing it when you met?”

“Yea, I’ve never seen his face, only his husband. He said that one day he just knew. They were playing cards or something and the guy made a joke, nothing special or anything, just a joke. But in that moment he said something came over him, he ripped it off and kissed him. The next day, he put it back on and went about his business. He’s not ashamed of it, because, and I’m quoting him here, ‘There’s no shame in making an exception for the one you love.” 

“He broke the Creed...and he feels no guilt?”

“No,” she looked out the window, “I think that, in reality, these things, these rules we get taught aren’t real. The only thing that is real is what you feel inside. If you feel that following the Creed is real, then it is. But, for some, it’s not. Nobody can tell you what you think but you.” She remained staring out the window as he pondered what she said. After a few minutes, he noticed something odd in her phrasing.

“Rules ‘we’ get taught? Who is we, exactly?” 

“Um,” she stiffened, “we all get taught something growing up, by whoever. It’s just the way it is.” She stood with the child. “Eat, we’ll leave you be until you tell us otherwise. Which I hope isn’t the entire trip but I’ll respect it if you want privacy.” She left and he stared at the food. The cockpit suddenly felt too quiet without her talking. Removing his helmet, he ate his food and pondered deeply what she said. Occasionally, his thoughts were interrupted by laughter down below, and he smiled every time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my Twitter for updates on my works: @SeleneLaufey  
> Updated 6/26/2020


	2. The Helmet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to get her chain-code cleared, Mando has taken them to see Greef Karga. However, she wants it done anonymously which leaves Mando curious about her past.

Thankfully they reached Nevarro without any issues. Selene eventually returned to the cockpit, with his permission, where she rambled on about various ships she’s stolen, planets she’s visited, and food she hates. Despite acting like he wasn’t listening, he took note of everything she said and would especially remember the food details. She wasn’t all bad, but the one thing he wanted to know is what she wouldn’t discuss: where she was from. Any mentions of before her becoming a thief were quickly shoved aside in favor of another story from her travels. But he knew better than to ask, because she could ask plenty in retaliation and he wasn’t ready for that. 

* * *

The little one seemed rather happy to be back somewhere he knew, looking around excitedly from his pod as they made their way to Greef Karga. When they walked into the establishment, Cara was arm wrestling someone and Greef sat in his usual booth discussing terms with a Guild Member. He quickly shooed the member away once he saw Mando though.

“Mando! Good to see you friend. How is the little one? Who is this?” He stood and waved them over. Selene somewhat whispered to Mando though, concerned.

“Friend? This isn’t an anonymous thing?”

“No, why?” They were interrupted as Cara came over and pat Mando on the back.

“Thought you were supposed to be finding this little guy's home, not picking up other travelers,” she eyed Selene who was becoming more uncomfortable with the situation. 

“Wasn’t having any luck with that so now I have a guide, of sorts. Which is why we’re here.” They all sat and Selene was looking around at the other patrons. “She needs her chain-code cleared. She has a bit of a reputation.” 

“Hey,” she elbowed him lightly, “What did I say about that attitude? And it’s not a ‘reputation,’ it’s called survival.” She sat up pretending to be proud.

“What’d you do?” Cara asked.

“I don’t own my own ship, so I just kinda took-”

“Stole.” Mando interrupted.

“Fine. Stole whatever was available. Never the same ship twice, but it ended up on my record. Along with...some other things.” She fidgeted but Mando decided to be funny.

“She stole an X-Wing once.”

“Oh now you think it’s impressive. Or are you being judgy again? Stop that.” Mando was about to say something in return but Greef interrupted, clearly amused by their banter. Cara was also watching them smirking. 

“Don’t worry about your chain-code, I can have it cleared for you. No problem.”

“Um, do you have someone else who can do it? Anonymously?” She glanced at Mando as she spoke. It was obvious that whatever was connected to her, she didn’t want him knowing. 

“I suppose, but it would cost you to do that. I’m offering to do it for free.”

“And I’m asking it to be done anonymously, I’ll pay it’s fine.” She pulled her bag to the front and reached in to grab a form of payment, but Mando grabbed her wrist.

“Whatever it is you don’t want me to know, I assure you he won’t tell me.” 

“I don’t want anyone you know to know. At all, whatsoever. Let me pay, it’s fine.” She spoke nervously. Cara watched her carefully, trying to figure out what was going on. In the background, footsteps approached and a masked, female voice spoke.

“What of someone who knows better than to reveal a secret, no matter what is at stake?” Selene jumped slightly in her chair and they all turned to look at the Armoured Mandalorian speaking. Selene cursed herself mentally for not noticing her within the establishment.

“Why would you help me?”

“Do not question my reasons. Come, we do not want to waste time in the journey to find this foundling's home,” she turned to go and Selene groaned. She turned to Mando before leaving.

“If she kills me, I will come back and haunt you because I fully blame you for this.” She stood and left. Cara smirked and watched Mando watch her go.

“One, whatever she doesn’t want you to know is based on her embarrassment or fear of judgement. Two, you like her and she likes you, so, don’t screw that up.” She looked to Greef for affirmation.

“She’s right, she’s probably had a hard life and doesn’t want to be judged by a Mandalorian. Plus, her liking you doesn’t help because of the helmet situation.”

“She tolerates me at best, I’m not talkative enough for her.”

“Men are idiots,” Cara smirked and Mando shook his head. 

* * *

Selene was following the Armourer down to the sewers where the Mandalorians hideout was. There were only a few Mandalorian’s down there, but it was enough for her to feel anxious.

“I don’t understand why you’re helping me. I’m not, I shouldn’t even be down here.” They made it to her work area and Selene sat, glancing behind her.

“Just because you did not take the Creed does not mean you cannot be down here. You are not the disgrace you think you are. Now, your chain-code is required for this process,” she opened a computer and began typing. Selene gave her the code and watched as her entire history beyond her childhood home was removed. 

“Your fear of him finding out is misplaced. He will not judge you, not as you think he will.” She went and rummaged around in some things. 

“He is dedicated to the Creed, even if he doesn’t judge me he will want to know why I didn’t take it. And when I answer that, he’ll ask more questions. He will know too much and-”

“And he will know how you feel.”

“I don’t feel anything towards him.” She moved back to sit as the Mando began working on something. 

“You like him. It may be small and new, but it is there. And it will grow as you spend more time with him. He will question the Creed, for you, and you may get what you have always wanted.” 

“No, no absolutely not. I cannot become another disgrace. Or disappointment, or point of hate. Whatever you want to say, I can’t be that.” 

“What your family thought of you because you made a choice is not a reason to hate yourself. You are a trained warrior, you know who you are and you are not a disgrace to the Mandalorians. I have seen people not take the Creed for various reasons. They still are provided help and support if needed. This Is The Way.” She continued working, “I recall a time when you knew who you were and who you wanted to be. Now you sit here unsure of who you are, denying feelings, however small they may be, and calling yourself a disgrace.”

“He would never-”

“We cannot know what he would and would not do for certain. But whatever choices he may make are his alone. They are not yours nor are they your fault. You will never grow if you continue to think of yourself this way.” She came over and sat across from Selene, holding something. Selene’s eyes widened.

“Have you had that all this time?”

“One does not give up on one’s foundling, even if she has chosen a different path. I have cleaned it up and added something for you. It is yours to wear, if a time comes where it needs to be worn.” She held out the helmet which Selene hesitantly took. “Without the Creed, there is no obligation for you to keep it on. You are not a disgrace, and he will not think of you as one either,” she paused, “Love is not a disgrace, no matter who it is for. This is the core of what you believed, you have lost that, and must find it again. This is who you are, who you have always been, but if you fear him finding out, of him hating you for something, you must not travel with him. If you do, you cannot continue the path of thought you are going down.” She stood and watched Selene ponder her words. “Come, we must not keep them waiting any longer or they will question what is taking so long.” Selene put the helmet into her bag and followed her out and returned to find Mando standing just outside the entrance with the little one trying to escape his pod. 

“Are we good?” he said as he tried to keep the little one in the pod.

“Yes, her code has been cleared. You should run into no trouble with authorities without evidence of her past, excursions,” she gestured vaguely to Selene. 

“At least she’s nice about it, but let’s go. I need to start plotting out which planets we should check and figuring out what type of environment he would like best,” she booped the foundling's nose and began walking back towards the ship. Mando turned to the Armourer before leaving. 

“That took time.”

“She needed guidance as well, it has been a long time since she has been supported in her choices. Perhaps you could help in that area.”

“I don’t think I’d be much help.”

“You will be, if you humor the stories she is willing to share. Besides,” she looked down at the foundling, “He clearly is fond of her, which will help the both of you.” 

“Thank you, again, for helping.”

“This is the way,” she turned and went back inside. Mando caught up to Selene and once they reached the ship he took the little one out of its pod. 

“I’m assuming from your vast experience flying a variety of ships, you can handle this one. Yes?”

“Uh yea, no problem. Why though?” She placed her bag with her larger one.

“I want to eat.” He looked down at the foundling, “You’ll have to keep an eye on him though. He likes to touch things and push buttons and cause problems.” 

“Naturally, he is a child of course.” She picked him up and smirked. “Take your time, I don’t have a clear destination currently so we’ll just be heading off until I figure out where we should go. I’ll pay for any wasted fuel.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he waved her off. She rolled her eyes but smiled as she went up to the cockpit. He waited until the ship had taken off before removing his helmet and eating some of the food he had stored. His eyes kept being drawn to her bag though. She had left with something after seeing The Armourer and he wanted to know what she could have possibly been given. He glanced up at the cockpit, knowing she wouldn’t come down until he had given permission. 

“Ah fuck it,” he sighed and went over to her bag.  _ This is wrong.  _ He grabbed her bag.  _ This is wrong.  _ He opened her bag.  _ This is- _ he pulled out the helmet and dropped the bag.  _ This is...not what I expected.  _ He examined it closely, trying to piece together why she had it, why it was given to her. His best guess is that it has something to do with why she didn’t want him to know about her past. But he knew better than to ask. 

* * *

She sat up in the cockpit with the little on sitting in her lap as she pondered where to go. There were a small assortment of planets she felt he would like, but she’s not come across his species there so maybe they weren’t the right planets. The was a slightly loud thud that broke her out of her trance. 

“What on Earth is he doing down there? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s his ship and his stuff, so what he breaks is not my problem. Does he break stuff normally? Or is that your job, given your inclination to grab things you shouldn’t be grabbing.” The child just cooed at her. “You’re too cute for life. I hope we find your home, I know he’s dedicated to it but I worry I won’t actually be the help he thinks I will be.” Suddenly, the doors slid open and Mando entered.

“I can take over if you want, but you’ll still be on babysitting duty.”

“I figured as much. I need to figure out where we should go. I have one idea to get started.” Mando sat in the passenger seat.

“By all means, take us there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my Twitter for updates on my works: @SeleneLaufey  
> Updated 6/26/2020


	3. Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for the younglings home continues. Selene finds out about his powers and some people from Mando's past cause tension in their growing friendship.

“Bad idea! Bad idea!”

“You think I haven’t figured that out!?” Mando was shooting at the creature that was avidly chasing them down. Selene had nearly made it back to the ship with the child and was shooting as well. 

“Use your pack thing and get over here! We need to leave!” She made it to the ship and continued shooting as Mando made it back to the ship as well. They quickly shut the doors and took off. Once they made it off of the planet, Mando put the ship in neutral and went down to check on the two of them. She was sitting on the floor watching the child play with a little ball, completely unphased by what happened.

“He never seems bothered by things once we’re on the ship. Thank you for rushing him back.” 

“Mmm, you know I wouldn’t let anything happen to him,” she glanced down at her left arm, “You got a med pack? I got scratched.” He nodded and grabbed one, but was surprised when he came over to examine the wound.

“When did you wrap this?” he lightly brushed the wrapping. Blood was already showing through, which meant the wound was deep.

“A minute ago.”

“It’s already bled through, I’m going to assume it’s more than just a scratch.” He began to unwrap it and put some pressure on it to stop the bleeding. He had no clue at what point it scratched her or how much blood she lost, but he was really worried about her. 

“It’s fine, I’ll live.” She continued to watch the child as she spoke, trying to hide the pain she was in.

“Alright, enough. What is going on?”

“Well you see, I got cut by that creature-”

“No, not with that. With you. Because you’re doing that thing again where you act all weird and distant and I’m tired of it. How do you go from being open and happy to being quiet and distant? Am I doing something to offend you? Would you at least look at me when I’m talking to you?” He was trying to hide the frustration in his voice but it was hard. For the past three weeks, she would go from being super friendly and almost flirty to being quiet and avoiding conversation at all costs with absolutely no warning. She sighed and leaned her head back against the metal wall.

“I keep getting comfortable. I get comfortable and tell you too much and then I remember that after we find his home, all of this,” she gestured vaguely to his ship and him, “Ends. And I get sad and shut down. I’ve rather liked having company and someone to talk to, so I’m not exactly looking forward to being on my own again.” She reached over and removed his hand from her wound just enough to look at it. “Fuck, ok fine it’s more than a scratch.” She groaned in pain. 

“You don’t have to leave after we find his home. You’re welcome to stay and travel, but after that point you have to pitch in.” He had already given this some thought. He wanted her to stick around, he liked having her around. She was useful in battle, witty, entertaining, and respected who he was. 

“Oh, I can’t do that,” she looked at him with a sad smile, “I’ll become a problem, eventually. But I appreciate the offer. Sides,” she poked his helmet with her free arm, “As much as I respect your choices, me making jokes about what’s under the helmet will piss you off at some point. I’m surprised it hasn’t already. But then again, you don’t flinch when I reach out or touch it.” She did make a fair amount of jokes, but the reason was because a part of her wanted to know what he looked like, who he was. She liked him, but not knowing what he looked like made it difficult to have those feelings. 

“I know you won't take it off,” he said softly. Sometimes she swore she could see emotions on the helmet, despite the mask never changing. They just looked at each other for a few moments when the child came over and looked at her arm, pointing and cooing lightly. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, what kind of stupid question is that?” she faked offense. 

“Then don’t freak out,” he rolled his eyes (not that she could see) and removed his hand from the wound. Cautiously, he moved her so she was sitting in between his legs, one arm lifting the child to her wound and the other loosely wrapped around her waist. This was the most physical interaction they had had, and as much as she welcomed it, it was extremely surprising. The child placed his little hand right by her wound and closed his eyes.

“My trust is doubting,” she said nervously. She had no clue what was going on and moved her hand to hold his. She squeezed as the child healed her wound, sitting back looking exhausted afterwards.

“See?” He set the child down and brushed a finger over the area where the wound had been. 

“I’m sorry, were you ever going to tell me that he had magical healing powers, or was that something I was supposed to find out myself?” She examined her arm in shock.

“I didn’t exactly know how to explain it, and it didn’t seem like relevant information earlier,” he shrugged. They sat like that for a moment before they both got somewhat nervous and moved. He went to put the child in its pod to sleep and she went to her bag to find a new top. “From what I know, he belongs to a race of enemy sorcerers and can use that magic to heal and lift objects. He saved me from a mudhorn a while back by using it. He can also choke people, which was an interesting discovery.” He shut the pod and she laughed a little.

“Alright well, first off they’re not ‘enemy sorcerers,’ they’re called Jedi. Second off, they are not a race but more like a religion or Creed, like you. Just different. As for the magic, I’m not sure what it is called but yes they do use it. Supposedly, anyone can? Not sure about that but I know they’ve mastered it.” She continued rummaging and pulled out a new top. 

“How do you know all of this?”

“I have heard a shitton of stories, and may or may not have stolen something from them a long time ago by accident,” She made an innocent face.

“How do you steal by accident?”

“You take something in a panic not knowing what it is,” she smirked, “So, are you going to watch me change or are you going to go take us somewhere to restock our supplies?” 

“Are you telling me to leave or is this an open ended question?” He tilted his head and was smirking deviously under his helmet.

“For the sake of my sanity, and probably yours, I’m telling you to leave.” She waved him off and he went up to the cockpit. She rolled her eyes and changed. Damn, what she wouldn’t give to see his face during that interaction. 

* * *

There were a few places to go and restock without running into any issues, one of them in particular had a ‘No fighting on the streets’ rule. This is where they ended up, and were working slowly making their way through the market to find things they needed. Selene had promptly hidden behind him three times now.

“You know that anybody who recognizes you can’t attack you, right?” He always checked to make sure whoever she saw was not coming towards them because he was more than willing to break that rule to protect her. 

“That won’t stop them from threatening me, which will piss you off and cause problems. I’d rather just avoid it all-together,” she smirked. He sighed and looked around. He had shown his overprotectiveness of her in the past, so he understood where she was coming from. 

“Maybe if you had gotten your own ship you wouldn't have so many people to avoid.”

“Sass!” She gasped. “What about you? Got anyone you want to avoid?” They stopped at a fruit stand and she picked out a variety, mostly for her. 

“Depends, I’d rather just focus on restocking our supplies.” He watched her examine some fruit when someone tapped on his shoulder, prompting him to turn around.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is. That mighty Mandalorian! The Mando who had the audacity to lock us up in a New Republic prison ship and then have my brother killed. What could you possibly be doing here?” Xi’an sauntered her way up to Mando and smirked. Selene, having no idea who this was, stuck her head out from behind Mando and to figure out what was happening. Xi’an seemed oblivious to her though, radiating sexy murder vibes that Selene did not appriciate.She nodded to the vendor so he was aware of the situation. Smirking, Selene went around the both of them and tugged on one of Xi’ans lekku to move her aside and step in between them. Xi’an hissed in pain.

“Aw poor thing, are those sensitive? I had no idea,” she said sarcastically, “We are here doing things that are none of your business, whoever you are.” Mando, now seriously concerned for the sake of his thief/tracker, tried to step forward but Selene wouldn’t let him. Xi’an smirked deviously and looked to him before speaking to her again.

“Aw you got a little protector now Mando? You sleeping with her too?” She looked to Selene who was trying to hide her surprise. “Oh dear. He never told you about us? You two must not be serious then, or you’re just not as good as me,” she winked. Selene rolled her eyes and motioned to the vendor who pulled out a weapon.

“Here’s the thing Twi, these are ‘safe zone’ streets and quite frankly, your hand on the knife of yours isn’t complying with that. So I’m going to have to ask you to walk off before my buddy here shoots your brains out. So bye-bye,” she waved and Xi’an growled but complied. She knew better than to start a fight where the vendors would all happily shoot her down. 

“What was that?” Mando asked. Selene turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

“More like who the fuck was that. You and I need to talk because up until now I thought I was going to cause issues with who we ran into.” She walked around him, grabbed some stuff and headed back to the ship. He sighed and turned to the street vendor who shrugged.

“You can’t keep ex girlfriends secret from current ones. It never ends well.”

“She’s not, nevermind.” He grabbed the rest of the stuff and followed. She was putting supplies away when he, somewhat slowly, walked onto the ship to join her. 

“So, the great Mandalorian has a thing for Twi girls?”

“No. We weren’t a thing like you think we were.”

“I don’t think anything.”

“You obviously do.”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t.”

“Well good, then neither do I.” She opened his weapons storage and switched out her two small blasters for slightly bigger ones. She also grabbed his Amban Rifle.

“What are you doing?”

“I need a drink. And I’d rather be armed in case I run into someone who wants me dead. Or that psycho Twi again. I won’t be an hour, just restock and brood or whatever it is you do.” She tried to walk past him but he grabbed her arm. “What?”

“You’re not going anywhere without a comm. If something happens, I need to know.” He handed her a comm which she tucked away safely.

“Thought you didn’t care?” she said somewhat bitterly, though she was trying to hide it.

“I’m not having this conversation right now. You have an hour, don’t get in a fight.” He let her go and went to wake the little one from his pod. She watched him for a moment before leaving the ship. 

* * *

She downed 5 drinks and 2 shots in 20 minutes, which seemed to do the trick. The bar was spinning a bit and the noise was just about to pass too loud when someone tapped on her shoulder. She groaned and spun around in her chair.

“Can I help you?????” she said a little too loudly.

“Yea, you stole my ship! And then wrecked it beyond repair. You owe me a new ship, or else.” He crossed his arms and she eyed him.

“I don’t recall stealing from your bald ass,” she laughed. He stepped forward and put his hand on his blaster.

“Let me say this again. You owe me a ship or I will kill you.” 

“Mmm, bald ass whiny bitch,” she burped in his face, punched him hard, and watched him fall back. “Aw fuck.” With her brain catching up to what was happening, she bolted out of the bar through the back, shoving people out of the way and nearly tripping twice. Haphazardly, she climbed onto the roof and fell onto her ass up there. She held her hand to her stomach breathing heavily, the fast movement jostled around what alcoholic contents within. Down below she could hear the voice of the man she just decked angrily talking to someone else.

“That bitch fucking bolted! I want my damn ship!”

“Pretty sure she wrecked your ship,” said a voice she was not happy to hear. Peaking down slyly, Selene saw the dude, Xi’an, and some tall Devaronian. She moved away from the edge and groaned.

“Fuck me.” She stood and ran, chaotically hopping a few rooftops but making too much noise. They noticed her and began to run after her from below. “I’m too drunk for this shit,” she jumped again and realized there was nowhere else to go. Grabbing the comm, she spoke into it out of breath. “Hey uh, I pissed someone off but like he knows that Twi from earlier and now they’re chasing me I’m on a roof I’m very drunk please hurry.” She stood, stumbled, straightened out, and watched as Xi’an climbed onto the roof, smirking.

* * *

Back on the ship, Mando was cursing himself for letting her go out on her own. He didn’t respond because he knew it would just waste time he could be using to get to her. The little one watched him frantically grab his weapons and place him in his little pod.

“Please stay here, this is an emergency.” He shut the pod and ran into town to find her. He had no clue where to start looking but thankfully the streets were mostly empty because all the vendors were packing up for the day. After a few minutes of searching, he saw Burg looking up at the roof of a building. Following his eyeline, he could see the backs of Mayfeld and Xi’an. He knew he needed to deal with Burg first.

Up on the rooftop, Selene had backed up as far as she could without falling off. Both Mayfeld and Xi’an were smirking as they approached her.

“So Mando’s dating a thief now? What a step down,” Xi’an said, still smirking. Selene rolled her eyes.

“He can’t really get any worse than that,” she gestured to all of Xi’an, “I feel bad for you, really, having to look at your face every day and know it’ll never get better.” Xi’an hissed at her and was about to step forward when a wire flung up, wrapped around Mayfeld and yanked him down below. Distracted, Xi’an looked to see what was happening and, using drunken logic, Selene charged her and tackled her off of the roof onto the street below. They landed with a thud and began wrestling on the ground, oblivious to Mando kicking Mayfeld’s ass. Xi’an pulled out a knife and stabbed Selene’s thigh. Selene punched her in the face, ripped out the knife, and stabbed her back. Xi’an tossed her off and she rolled a few feet before standing. She tried to grab one of her blasters but Xi’an charged her. 

There was a shot and Xi’an fell. Turning around, Selene saw Mando holding a blaster, Mayfeld on the ground unconscious nearby. Without a word, Mando walked over to her and grabbed his Amban Rifle, and swung it around him. In one swift motion he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She took a moment to process before pouting.

“I’m dizzy.”

“I don’t trust you to walk without falling.” She crossed her arms and took this as an opportunity to stare at his ass until they made it back to the ship. He sat her down and shut the doors. Then, he took the two blasters, put them away and brought her a glass of water. She took it and shrunk in on herself a bit.

“I was minding my business, I promise. He approached me.” She drank some water and he squat down in front of her, examining the stab wound on her leg.

“I’m sorry about earlier, I wasn’t trying to argue but I saw no value in discussing something I consider to be a mistake. I care about you, and if something happened to you I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. Mad at me or not, next time you want to drink I’m going with you, deal?” She nodded. He tended to her wound for a few moments. “I’m surprised you're silent.”

“I don’t have the mental capacity to say anything worth a shit,” she shrugged, “I got jealous. For as much time as I’ve spent with you and I know practically nothing about you, but she, it just seemed like she knew you. Without this,” she tapped on his helmet. He shook his head and sighed.

“Nobody has seen me without this, I can promise you that. As for her, it was a long time ago and it wasn’t anything real. I wasn’t myself and she wouldn’t stop pestering me. I cut it off quickly and she never let it go.” He waited for her to respond and decided to ask about the wound. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Mmm, it kinda does now. Earlier, I was preoccupied.” She finished the water and he sighed.

“My name is Din Djarin. My parents were killed when I was young by Separatists Battle Droids and the Mandalorians saved me. I was a foundling.” He watched as her eyes widened a little and she had a very faint smile on her face. “And you,” he poked her forehead, “Are staying with me after we find his home.”

“I mean, someone has to keep an eye on you,” she laughed a little and he stood.

“Drink more water and get some rest, I think we should get off this planet before anyone else tries to cause problems.” He checked on the little one and went to the ladder, pausing as she spoke.

“Ya know, whatever it is you did with her, I bet you I can do it ten times better.” She leaned back and he chuckled. 

“I’d offer to get us a room but I’d rather you be sober.” He climbed up into the cockpit and she stared after him, eyes wide and trying to process what he said.

“Good to know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my Twitter for updates on my works: @SeleneLaufey  
> Updated 6/26/2020


	4. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando finally opens up about his feelings and ends up saying more than he should have.

“Alright little one, we need to have a chat about you touching things you shouldn’t be touching.” Selene sat sideways in the pilot chair with the little one in her lap. He continued to try and touch buttons so she had to hold him while eating fruit, occasionally giving him a bite. Mando, or Din rather, was down below eating while they idled through the emptiness of space. The little one cooed and reached for the fruit again. 

Suddenly, an old Empire ship appeared, coming out of light speed right above them. This caused both her and the little one to jump slightly. 

“This can’t be good…” She moved to sit normally in the chair and took the ship out of idle to cruise away from them unnoticed. “The hell are they even doing out here? I thought all their ships got destroyed or something. Do you know anything?” she looked down at the little one who was now holding the fruit. “You’re right, they’re probably out here to go unnoticed just like us.” 

Their ship continued to cruise away for a bit before three TIE Fighter’s appeared on the radar. She paused a moment to see what they would do before deciding to act normal or flee. They took a warning shot and she punched it, hoping they wouldn’t follow. Unfortunately, they pursued immediately which wasn’t a good sign. 

“Fuck he’s gunna get banged around down there with my flying,” she put it into light speed to do what she was best at: light speed skipping. The child remained on her lap and she moved to hold him, but needed both hands to navigate successfully. Thankfully, he seemed to be secured in place by some unknown force after she had moved to hold him. 

There were some loud noises below she could hear in-between missed shots from the TIE Fighters which meant Din was not having a good time. But she needed to get them away and had no clue why they were being chased in the first place. 

A few light speed skips later and they were exactly where she wanted to be. There was a specific planet that had large mountains and caverns where she had made a fair amount of escapes in the past. She knew this planet like the back of her hand, but this ship was bigger than she was used to so it was going to be a bit more difficult than normal. She dove down abruptly and began navigating the mountain landscape, moving as much as possible to keep their shots from hitting the ship. She took a sharp corner (one that if you had never taken before you might not make it through) and one of the three pursuers dropped off the radar. 

One shot hit the ship and she cursed. The child was giggling though, so at least someone was having a good time. A few sharp turns later and there was only one pursuer left. Rolling her eyes at his determination, she kicked it into gear and flew straight towards a large mountain with no indication of turning. The pursuer stayed on her tail though, right up until the last moment where she slammed the ship to a stop, causing the fighter to turn suddenly, spin out of control and slam into the mountain. She sighed and put the ship into idle, sitting back in the chair. The door slid open and Din grabbed both sides of the doorframe, slightly slumped over.

“What the fuck was that?” he said, trying to catch his breath. She couldn’t see his face but there was no doubt he looked disheveled. 

“We were being chased and now we are no longer being chased. I have a better question for you,” she spun around in the chair, “Why were they chasing us if we didn’t provoke them? In all of my time stealing and flying ships, you only get chased if you provoke or are registered. Your ship has to be registered as an enemy ship otherwise we should have been able to leave peacefully.” He stood up straight and glanced down at the child.

“He was bounty for them, but I stole him back. They’ve been trying to kill me and take him back ever since.” The child cooed and waved to Din. Her jaw dropped slightly.

“You stole something from the Empire, didn’t tell me, and had the audacity to judge me for stealing ships? I demand an apology!” He chuckled and she pouted slightly. “I’m serious!”

“Fine, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you he was stolen cargo. I’m not sorry about the judgement though.” He walked over to her and motioned for her to stand. “We got hit, we need to land and inspect the damage.” Instead of standing, she handed him the little one and turned the chair back around to land the ship herself in a small valley nearby. He sighed but didn’t protest. 

“I’ll fix it since I was flying,” she stood and went down to assess the damage. It wasn’t too bad thankfully. He had the tools within the ship to fix it so she grabbed what she needed and began patching it up. He came down and watched her patch it up, the little one following closely. 

“You know, you’re one hell of a pilot.” He leaned against the bay door frame. 

“Hardly, we got hit,” she pointed towards the minor amount of damage she just fixed.

“You’re kidding right? If I had been flying we would’ve been hit way more than that. And this is my ship that I know how to fly. You’re a good pilot, and you know it.” He paused. “Let me buy you a drink.” 

“Thanks, but I’m gunna have to say no. After last time...I’m good. Now, if your other offer still stands I’ll happily accept that,” she said half-jokingly. 

“Depends, do you know where we can get a room nearby?” he asked. She looked slightly surprised but nodded. She grabbed the tools and went back inside the ship.

“I do.” He picked up the little one and followed her in, shutting the bay door. He watched her for a few moments, taking in every movement she made and having an internal debate.

“How do you feel about being blindfolded?” 

“Like, sexually or in general?” She put the tools back and tried to hide her slight surprise at the question. 

“Take a guess.”

“Generally, not a fan. Sexually, never tried it. Never trusted anyone enough to. Why would I need to be blindfolded though? You got a kink or something I should know about?” she raised an eyebrow. He chuckled and just tapped on his helmet as an answer. “You’re, wait, you want me to be blindfolded so you can take that off? Doesn’t that still count as breaking the Creed?” she said with concern in her voice.

“It probably does, but I’ve thought about it. You still won’t be able to see me and quiet honestly, sex with the helmet on is weird.” She went through several emotions and facial expressions before settling on an answer.

“Do not tie me up, do not pin me down. The blindfold will already be a lot, I’d still like to have some semblance of control.”

“I thought you’d be skilled enough to be in charge even when blindfolded,” he said with a playful tone. She raised a finger at him and hummed.

“I like you, and it frustrates me,” she said slightly laughing.

“I know,” he laughed as well and went up to the cockpit, closely followed by her. “So where are we going?”

* * *

The whole situation didn’t sit right with her. Not because of the blindfold, but because she didn’t want him to take off his helmet for her. Not just for sex, anyway. He could tell she was getting somewhat ancy as they landed and decided to stay in his seat so they could chat.

“You know we don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I would never want to do that to you,” he spun around in his chair and she leaned back in hers.

“Believe me, the idea of sex with you is not making me uncomfortable. It’s-”

“The helmet?” he interrupted. She sighed and nodded. “I told you I’ve thought about this.”

“Yes but I don’t understand why the helmet has to come off. All you really need to take off is your pants. I don’t need you resenting me for it. I don’t think I could live with myself if you took it off and regretted it…”

“Everyone makes a choice, to put it on, to never put it on, to take it off. It’s about what feels right. It’s not about the sex, I’m dying to kiss you,” he admitted. “The amount of times you’ve kissed my helmet, for whatever reason, is driving me mad. If we just sat here and you let me kiss you, that’d be enough.” 

“And if you regret it?”

“I won’t.” 

“Then I suggest you get something to blindfold me with,” she said with a faint smile. He nodded and stood, heading down to grab some cloth and quickly check on the little one. She spun around in her chair slightly nervous but excited. He came back up and handed her the cloth, sitting back down.

“I thought you’d be more comfortable putting it on yourself. I trust you to make sure you can’t see.” He watched her wrap it around her head and adjust it so her hair wasn’t being tugged and ensuring that her eyes were fully covered.

“It’s not blackout dark but I can’t see anything through it, up, or down.” She moved her head around to ensure she couldn’t see before nodding. 

“Alright then,” he slipped off his helmet. Realizing she didn’t know what was happening and was putting an immense amount of trust in him, he decided to place it in her lap. She flinched slightly in surprise but quickly grabbed at it and traced the lines on it.

“This is, weird,” she laughed.

“Yea, it kinda is,” he chuckled. 

“Mmm, your voice sounds nice without the helmet muffling it. Maybe I should be blindfolded more often,” she said with a smirk. 

“You can’t fly a ship blindfolded.”

“Wanna bet?” He rolled his eyes and leaned forward. “Um, can you like tell me what’s going on cause without sight-” she was quickly cut off by a kiss. She was going to sass him but given that she didn’t flinch, there was no need. The kiss was sweet and far too short for her liking. As he pulled back, she reached out to find him, grabbed his armor, and pulled him back in for another kiss. He smiled against her lips and quickly led her to his lap, his helmet falling onto the ground. 

She finally pulled away for air and his brain stopped working.

“Yeah ok, I can see why you don’t wear yours.” Shock spread over both of their faces as realization hit.

“You-,”

“I can explain!” 

“Oh I’m fucking sure you can,” she said angrily. Still blindfolded, she climbed off of him, tripped over his helmet on the ground, and clambered her way down the ladder to the belly of the ship. She ripped off the blindfold and slammed the open button for the bay door. He cursed himself and threw on his helmet, following her down. He quickly ran past her, slammed the button to shut, picked her up by the waist, and spun her around so she wasn’t leaving. 

“Can you at least let me explain before you storm off?”

“No! You went through my personal items and have been pretending you didn’t know this whole time! I have trusted you this entire time and for what? How long have you known?” she yelled angrily.

“Since we left Nevarro. I’m sorry, I got curious and I knew it was a bad idea but I wanted to know what the Armorer gave you. I thought maybe you’d tell me on your own! You can still trust me!”

“Is there anything else you know about me that I haven’t volunteered?”

“No, I don’t even know why you have the helmet honestly. I guessed,” he shrugged lightly.

“Oh you guessed did you? Was it a good guess? Do you feel accomplished?” She threw her hands up angrily and turned her back to him. “I never put it on in the first place. She gave it to me because of you, not because I wanted it. Now if it’s all the same to you I would like to go-” she turned back around and froze. He was standing there holding his helmet in his hands, sorrow and regret written all over his face.

“I’m sorry. I should have never looked and I should have told you right away when I did. I’m not judging you for decisions you made, I would never do that. I was trying to understand you better, stupidly enough.” She just stared at her blankly, trying to process what compelled him to take it off. It felt like an eternity before she spoke softly.

“I didn’t want to wear something that would hide who I was. Unlike my parents, I was never ashamed of who I was and I never wanted to become a Mandalorian in the first place…” she took a small step forward. “I never wanted you to take that off for me either.”

“I was going to take it off eventually. I knew that as soon as I realized I wanted you to stay with me.” He held the helmet out and she stepped close enough to take it. She sighed and gently slid it back on his head. He didn’t try to stop her.

“You need to keep this on for now because I want to drink and you said that even if we were fighting, you were going to go with me next time I got drunk. Remember?”

“I did say that. Are we still, fighting?” he asked, concerned.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m not overly thrilled that you went through my stuff, but I’m finding it extremely difficult to be mad at you now that I’ve seen what’s under this,” she tapped the helmet lightly.

“You’ll never tell?”

“You have my word.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my Twitter for updates on my works: @SeleneLaufey  
> Updated 11/11/2020

**Author's Note:**

> For updates, follow my Twitter: @SeleneLaufey


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